Barcelona court begins trial over asbestos exposure compensation claim

A trial has commenced in Barcelona to determine if Ferrocarrils de Barcelona, a subsidiary of Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), must compensate the family of a former worker. The family is seeking 239,401 euros, alleging that the company failed to meet occupational risk prevention obligations.

The worker, who served the company between 1988 and 2008, died in 2019 from pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer linked to asbestos inhalation. While a 2022 ruling by the Tribunal Superior de Justícia de Catalunya (TSJC) confirmed that the worker's death was caused by asbestos exposure during his professional activity, this current legal proceeding aims to establish whether the exposure resulted from a breach of safety protocols and if such a breach generates liability for damages.